For What You Have Tamed
by shell less snail
Summary: "Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -The Little Prince. Holmes stumbles upon a case that might find Watson a new friend of sorts.
1. Chapter 1

"Les hommes ont oublié cette vérité, dit le renard. Mais tu ne dois pas l'oublier. Tu deviens responsable pour toujours de ce que tu as apprivoisé. "

"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. " - Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I do not own Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, or any related character. All belong to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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><p>CHAPTER ONE<p>

**Watson**

"I say Holmes, "

"hmm?"

"I don't get it, why would the man want to give the money to his son?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Because he would endanger his own son's life by doing so,and did. "

"It seems to me that Mr. Davis was not an ideal father. "

"Still, it's rather dubious. "

"Watson, you have this romanticized way of looking at things. " said Holmes with a touch of mockery in his voice.

I sighed and let the matter drop,instead absentmindedly watched him as he looked at the most unlikely places for the piece of paper we had broke in the house to find. Said paper held a clue as to where a big fortune was kept, in other words, it was a treasure map,written in code. Mr. Davis, a rich,old man had written the information for his only offspring,before committing suicide,for a very dangerous gang had been after the money. They had managed to steal the letter before it reached the younger Mr. Davis,and had killed him in a series of events.

That April of the year 1886,after Holmes had stayed sprawled on the settee for more than a week,Lestraude had suggested that he work on a rather old case that had remained unfinished,which was the case of the unfortunate father and son.

Holmes had figured that the current resident of Mr. Davis's house,was in fact one of the leader members of the gang,and is still trying to find out the meaning of the code. So we had broke in the house to find the letter. It took Holmes a good fifteen minutes to convince me of the necessity of this course of action,but eventually,not willing to let him go alone,I had accompanied him. The house had had a watch dog. Holmes had sedated it before our entering.

"Maybe he has put it in an obvious place,and you've simply missed it. "

"Watson you have spent far too much time reading Poe. "

I continued to keep watch in the dark,until Holmes's sudden cry of triumph,quiet though it was,startled me.

"Found it. "

He showed me the cover of an old book,it was double layered and the letter had been in the middle of the layers.

"Well,I congratulate you my fellow,can we leave now?"

Before he could respond,we both heard the sound of the yard door being closed and then footsteps coming our way. I had been distracted and hadn't noticed it in time. Holmes swore under his breath and then just as quietly told me to hide behind the curtain and went under the settee. I did as much. The huge house was located rather far from town. I knew well that were our man to fire shots,probably no one would hear,and being the man that he was,he was likely to do such a thing.

I had put us in real danger with my negligence. And to make matters worse,I had made another awful mistake,I had put my revolver on the tea table,far from my reach. In my defense though,I really had not been expecting the man back,mostly because of Holmes's confidence in the matter. Holmes had seen fit to make a mess of the house in his search,it would take the man,Robinson,mere seconds to know there had been a burglary.

I waited with suppressed breath as the man came to the living room and took in the scene before him. I only hoped he wouldn't check if the intruders had left yet,which he did,and the first place he came to look was my hiding place. Before he reached the curtain though,Holmes burst out from under the settee.

"Well, hello Mr. Robison,it's an honor to finally meet you. "

despite his cheerful tone I knew that he dreaded what was to come as much as I. Probably,having notice my horrid error of abandoning my revolver,he was distracting the man so that I could get away. He should have known by then that I would never do such a thing. As Robison turned around to face Holmes I slowly began to move towards the tea table,wishing to heaven he wouldn't notice my presence before I got my revolver.

I wasn't so lucky though,I tripped over one of the thing Holmes had so freely dropped on the ground,I didn't fall and managed to make as little sound as possible,but being a professional criminal,Robinson heard it and turned around,starting towards me.

To our fright,he reached his hand in his trouser pocket to get his revolver,but luckily had made the same mistake as me,and didn't find it there. Meanwhile Holmes managed to throw a vase at his head. The blow wasn't so strong though,and he became only momentarily dazed. I began to run towards the tea table,Robinson after me,but I was't fast enough,war wound and all,and he reached me and tackled me strongly,I fell but hurried to grab my revolver from the table just ten inches away. Robinson kicked at my other hand and I tugged at his legs with all the strength within me and sent him crashing down beside me. He in return put his hands around my neck,trying to choke me. Holmes has always called me a romantic fool,and I think it may be true,there I was choking and hardly able to breath at all,and yet I was busy watching the touch of madness in my attacker's eyes,shining in the moonlight. Indeed,the man seemed to have lost control of himself so easily,or else would never have forgotten my companion.

"Unhand him,Robinson,or I'll shoot. "came the icy voice.

Robison seemed dazed for a moment and then as if suddenly aware of his surroundings and the revolver aimed at him,slowly let go of my neck.

"Get on your feet. "

"You hurt,Watson?"

"no"

"You think you can get away with this?"Robinson said while obeying Holmes's orders.

"What are you going to do,go to the police?"

"I could"

"You'd better not. It wouldn't be so hard to find a scapegoat,considering your background and all your fellow anarchists. "

The man snorted.

"Watson,go see if you can find a sedative for Mr. Robinson here. "

"I have chloroform in the kitchen,second cabinet over the corner. "said Robinson with a wistful smile,he seemed like he wasn't worried about Holmes having found the letter,or else he wouldn't give up so easily,yet another piece of pure luck for us.

"you are a rather smart man,Mr. Robinson,if you don't lose yourself completely in your rage that is. "commented Holmes.

I found said item in the kitchen,put a safe amount of it on a piece of clothing I found nearby and went back.

Holmes got the cloth and cautiously moved to place himself behind Robison,while keeping the revolver aimed at him. Then put the cloth on his nose a mouth until the man was unconscious,caught him and eased him in the floor.

"Quickly Watson,we must leave. "

we hurried to the yard and then the door,Robinson had locked it after entering,and Holmes began to work on it. I turned around to get a look at the large yard at the front of the house. It was spooky and full of wastes or useless,broken items. It was a mess,really. Who on earth would choose such a place for living,this Mr. Davis was proving to be a very strange and heartless man indeed,I mused. But suddenly a twitching caught my eye and I let go of my thoughts to go see the dirty,furry ball,curled on the ground. It took me a moment to realize it was a dog,a setter to be exact,the one Holmes had sedated. Shiny,sticky stains were visible on it's coal black coat and it took me some minutes to know in the faint moonlight that they were blood,it had probably been abused by the madman we just met,poor thing. When I rolled it gently to get a better look at it,it flinched and opened it's eyes slowly. They were dazed and bewildered,but that didn't at all cat my attention,instead,I found myself drowning in those deep,stormy,black eyes.

And suddenly the weight of a thousand memories came crashing down on me.

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><p><strong>Note: <strong>This is my first fiction. I hope it was good so far, please, please review. tell me how I did.

_to be continued. . . _


	2. Chapter 2

**note:** I just realized that my writing style is very much affected by KCS and Protector of the Grey Fortress, hope you're not offended by this, it's subconscious!

**Disclaimer: **Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson do not belong to me. Not even Watson's childhood I guess,too bad!

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><p><span>CHAPTER TWO<span>

**Holmes**

I had managed to pick the damned lock when I realized Watson wasn't standing next to me. I turned around to see him approach,carrying the shivering form of the watch dog in his arms.

"What _are_ you doing Watson?"said I startled.

"Holmes we can't let him torture the dog any longer. " He whispered. His face was pale and his eyes seemed strange…somehow sensitive,even tearful. I wondered what had caused him distress,he did have a big heart and it was very much like him to be caring for the poor creature,but there was something odd about his expression,I was sure of it. I had no time to ponder on such things,though. Bless Watson,I never had given much thought to the poor dog.

"Very well. We must hurry. " He seemed relieved that I hadn't objected,though I knew he would bring it anyhow.

"Did you bring my revolver?"

"yes. "

As we began to walk and I was left to think to myself,I started to feel the anger that I had suppressed for the need to concentrate on saving the both of us. And so the stress of the night,along with the fact that I hadn't ate or slept for a while,as was my habit when on a case,got the better of me,and I'm highly ashamed of what I said to my dear friend next.

"Watson,you did make a fine mess of things,you know. " It seemed I had brought him out of deep thought.

"wha…oh,I'm sorry for that,but surely you're not blaming me for all of it. "

"Who am I to blame then?"

"Really Holmes,that is not fair,you were the one who said he would no doubt not return before midnight _and _made that mess in the house. "

"Had you remembered your revolver,he wouldn't have recognized us. " I snapped.

"He didn't!"

"He must be a fool not to recognize us,what with those romantic nonsense you've written of my work. "

"My stories are _not_ nonsense. "

"They are,and endanger my career too. "

Watson is known for his patience,many could not imagine him ever dishonoring anyone,I,however,having shared a flat with him for so long,know that he either overlooks things completely,or,bursts in anger,his temper flaring dangerously. You usually didn't find him anything between those two. I hadn't expected the latter reaction to my words,he really seemed not himself.

He halted to a stop.

"your career,can go to hell. " His face was red with rage,he was shaking in fact.

"Also you don't need the greatest mind in England to know that I did you a favor,a big one too,by coming along. For all I know I could have let you go alone,not risk my reputation and life for your stupid career,and you could as easily have been dead now. "

I was simply shocked at this uncharacteristic outburst,and though I couldn't bring myself to realize it then,a little worried. Something was bothering him,very much.

I was silent for a moment,staring at him in shock. And just as I was watching he seemed to slowly realize his outrage and let out a shaky breath,the readable feelings in his eyes changing from anger to shock,shame, and finally hurt.

"I'm sorry. " he said,very quietly holding the dog tighter and looking down.

"No,I am,Watson. Forgive me. "

I wanted to go on,but felt he needed to be left alone. I was never good at these things. I wonder if he realized that throughout the rest of our walk,my brain tore itself apart from guilt.

**Many Years Before:**

The sun was shining brilliantly and the sky was a peaceful blue.

John liked blue skies more than anything. He'd imagine it was a huge upside down fish tank,and they were all trapped under it,the fish were swimming in shallower waters,high up the sky and he couldn't see them,though he sometimes talked to them.

Mommy had always liked that idea. John often wondered if she was now a fish,swimming above them.

The Widower stood beside the window, a glass of whisky in hand, still wearing full mourning. His eyes were sorrowful,there was a fond smile on his lips. As he watched his boys,he tried desperately not to see their mother,not to feel pain,but joy. They were so alive,full of energy,they could smile at him,he didn't have to imagine their smiles. And he knew that their mother smiled through them.

"Look at them,Sara. " he whispered.

He watched John,as he slowly,shyly took a few steps toward the rabbit that was hiding in the bushes. He had a thread of grass in his hand,offering it to the rabbit,his eyes- hazel like his mother's - determined,playful and kind,too kind,really,for a five-year-old.

The rabbit hesitated and took a step back,he could almost hear John's voice,telling it it was ok,that he wanted to be friends. But the rabbit followed its instinct and ran away.

Hamish Watson frowned as John's eyes became hurt and soon angry,and he kicked at a rock forcefully. John had become very sensitive and moody after Sara's death,he was getting better,but still Hamish sometimes worried about his spirits.

He seemed somehow…distrustful to the world in general,since the tragedy.

Hamish wasn't sure if it had been a good thing John had been delirious at the time and hadn't had to watch his mother die. It broke his heart to have to explain it to him,and John would't believe it at first.

They had been quite lucky,Andrew and him, that John didn't meet the same faith as Sara.

It wasn't fair that these fine young men would never get to know her. Hamish's eyes were watery again,but he suddenly whipped them with the back of his hand and put the whisky bottle away,he had to be strong,for their sake. He had promised Sara.

And then a thought crossed his mind,John had always shown interest in animals,and he had a birthday coming this month,maybe he could…

Outside,little John went to lie beside Andrew under their favorite apple tree- which they had named Maggie- leaning his head on his shoulder; the latter put an arm around him and started to read aloud.

**Less than a month later:**

"Now John,this present is for the both of you,you have to promise you'll take good care of it…. John,are you listening?"

John was staring at the setter,_his_ setter,with wide eyes that were shining with pure excitement;in fact he didn't hear a word his father said.

It was white,with faint black spots,stood proud and straight,it's eyes sharp but also warm. It looked at his new masters and thought his new life was definitely promising.

"Papa,are we going to keep him?"

"Of coarse we are lad,do you like him?"

"I love him,papa,thank you so much. " John said slowly,as if mesmerized.

Andrew was simply shining with joy.

"John,look,he's looking at you,talk to him. "

"Hi,I'm John,this is Andrew,what's your name?"

"His name is Ricky. "

"Welcome home Ricky. " Said Andrew,patting the dog's head.

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><p>T<em>o Be Continued...<em>


	3. Chapter 3

**Note:** Will probably hear of Holmes and the case in the next chapter,for now,lets see what Watson is up to . . .

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson,I do own Paige,Penny,Davy and Ricky,though. (yessss,I own something!)

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><p>CHAPTER THREE<p>

**Watson**

Paige fell asleep in my arms on the way. holding her, I kept feeling I was a child again,that it was Ricky I was holding and Papa was home waiting for me,worried that I was out so late. That I would fall asleep hearing one of Andrew's stories tonight. That last one,I remember,hit me real hard,the dog reminded me of Andrew. I had lost my brother 4 months ago,and had thought that I had moved on,but it seemed like I still had tones of emotions I sooner or later had to let out,and that was something I wouldn't admit to myself. proof of that was that a setter,not even the same color as Ricky,had evoked such a strong feeling of nostalgia in me. There are few sins worse than lying to oneself.

Finally when we arrived home,I got to take a look at the setter in the light.

It was thin,unhealthy,quite young,and a she. Despite being week,her eyes were sharp and angry,it was clear she trusted no one and the only thing that kept her from attacking was dizziness from the drug Holmes had given her. I had to make sure she was tied until morning,unfortunately.

"Here now,I'm not going to harm you. " I answered her unfriendly gaze.

"Grrrrrrr…"

"Watson,do be careful with that,it seems quite wild. "

"It's hardly surprising though,considering the life she's had. "

"Indeed,what's its name?"

I turned over her collar,mindful of her teeth,and read: "Paige. "

"Hello,Paige. " Said I,patting her head but she turned it quickly to bite my fingers,luckily,I was faster.

"Easy,girl. " I said gently and while searchings her face,my eyes once again became locked in hers.

Her eyes were the same color as Ricky's,and despite holding no kindness whatsoever,when I looked into them,it was as if I was looking at Ricky's eyes,I could't look away.

I could feel the back of my eyes burning again,damn it,I was an oversensitive fool.

I suddenly looked away,blinking rapidly to get rid of the tears.

"Watson,you all right?"

"Yes,…yes Holmes,I'm just allergic to dogs,I think. "

Holmes wasn't fooled of coarse,but sensed that I did't want to talk just then and pressed no further.

I managed to bandage Paige's seemingly broken paw and tend to her open wounds,while Holmes held her tightly. In the end Holmes went to find some bones in the kitchen,waking Mrs. Hudson and half the neighbors along the way. Meanwhile,I tried in vain to make Paige's hostile behavior softer. I also gave her some morphine,to soften the pain,and also to weaken any violent behavior she would show upon morning.

No matter how much hatred was in her veins and how horribly she had been treated,I was determined to win her heart.

Because to have her trust me,seemed ridiculously like having Andrew love me again.

Where had logic gone?

All through that night I wished my mind would shot up up so that I could get some sleep,when it finally did,It was about 4:00 am,and I didn't sleep more than till 8,excited beyond explaining like a child on the day before christmas.

I woke up with the soul purpose of seeing Paige.

Holmes had gone out early,for what I didn't know. I got dressed quickly and stuffed some biscuit in my mouth from the table.

Paige was awake,curled up on the small blankets I had placed for her,her head resisting on on her arms,staring forlornly at the chewed bones in front of her before she heard my steps and glanced at me.

"Hay,girl. Did you sleep well?"

I was mostly ignored,but when I approached her further she began to roar.

"I just want to be friends. " I felt utterly ridiculous as soon as I spoke those words.

That would not do,I needed another plan,and then it struck me that a hungry stomach always did get the better of everyone…. Even Ricky!

I felt her gaze on my back as I went to bring her something to eat. Mrs. Hudson was out and she very nearly killed me upon finding out how much meat I had given to the dog,and it was a terrible mistake to tell her to imagine Holmes had for once ate lunch 3 days in a row,it _was_ true!

I knew she wouldn't get it from my hand so I put it on the floor without getting very near her,I knew that I needed to gain her trust first.

She looks at me for a moment,studying me,then hesitantly glanced at the meat and finally couldn't resist it anymore and started eating.

I was fixing myself a cup of coffee absentmindedly when there was a loud nock at the door,by the sound of it I knew that it was either Holmes,or the irregulars.

I tried to keep my distance from Paige when I passed the doorway,and hurried downstairs.

Before I had even opened the door completely,a delightful,young voice,which I immediately recognized,said hello to me.

"Hello,Penny,Davy,what are you doing here?"

"Mr. 'Olmes said you 'ad a dog in 'ere. " Penny shouted,as always talking in behalf of Davy as well,and loud enough to cover the fact that he was mute.

Davy and Penny were certainly the most intimate of the irregulars to me. They were both outcasts,Penny for her sex and Davy for his being mute,and so they had become best friends. I had taught Davy how to write so that he could communicate with others and that way had become vary close to them both. They always said they wanted to be just like Holmes and I when thy grew up,but either both wanted to be Holmes or both wanted to be me,and that was an endless source of half-written,half-spoken argument between them;even Holmes and I were starting to quarrel on who was like Penny and who like Davy,in quit the same way!

"Eh…. how nice of him. I suppose you're here to see her?" I said,scratching my head and wondering if I could prevent the setter and two hyperactive children from swallowing one another,were I to let them in. Finally I figured I had no other choice,at least not when two very innocent gazes were fixed on me,melting me.

"Alright,but you'll have to behave yourself. " At that Penny let herself in with long strides and suddenly started running upstairs,and naturally I ran after her,as I didn't like the idea of having her alone with the dog.

"Penny,stop right there…. Penny…"

She ran in but stopped as soon as she saw Paige,and took a few steps back,all but hid behind me.

"You don't have to be afraid,just careful. "

"'m no' scared. " She said,looking at the dog and then me.

"Of coarse not. " Said I.

"Not scared of anything. " She said,wide eyed,as if fascinated by that fact herself.

"I know. "

"I 'ave done such awesome things,loike…. loike…. " As she stuttered Davy too joined us.

"Oi touched a dragon once…. does tha' count?"

"How big?" I asked and Davy nodded in agreement.

"Five feet. " Penny opened her arms from side to side to show the amount.

"Yes,it does. " I said with a wide smile.

In the end I had to carry them to pass them from in front of Paige and into the house.

Paige was looking at us keenly,a very noticeable progress,I thought to myself.

"Davy,Penny,meet Paige. Paige,this is Davy and this here is Penny. They are my friends. " Penny started to wave her hand kindly at the dog,Davy following her lead. Paige was observing our behavior,puzzled. She had probably seen nothing like it before.

"What a doity dog. " Shouted Penny,pointing at said dog with her small index finger,rising on her toes and looking at me sideways.

I scratched my head,realizing that statement was definitely true. That would not do.

"Well,would you like to help me wash her?" The little ones nodded their heads and so our adventure began.

**An hour later:**

"Now that was a lot of effort wasn't it?" Said I,trying to whip Paige dry with a towel.

"I' sure was. " Said Penny,collapsing on the settee as if she had done all the work rather than making trouble.

I took a look 'round our flat and realized in great dismay just how horrible a mess we had created. How I had managed to wash a dog with the presence of two experienced troublemakers is still beyond me.

Paige gave a cheerful bark as I ran the towel over her ears curiously,and I realized she was actually swinging her tail. As if just realizing that herself she suddenly stopped the movement and stiffened somewhat. Who would have thought she would be so warm and funny? Her cold gaze was almost completely vanished now,and she was actually becoming nice to us,as quickly as that! and boy that felt good.

I put aside the towel and crouched there on the ground with a sigh,exhausted and feeling weightless,smiling at my new,hopefully,friend to be.

I was stunned,thrilled, and a little disgusted when she gingerly came close and licked my face,making me wet from hairline to chin.

If I could befriend Sherlock Holmes,I could befriend anybody.

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><p>I hope you liked it! Please review.<p>

_To be continued. . . (depending on the number of reviews!). . ._


	4. Chapter 4

I hope the code and secret will turn out to be ok. Please review and point out anything you think is wrong or needs improvement.

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><p>CHAPTER FOUR<p>

**Holmes**

I studied the piece of paper, the secret code that would tell me where Mr. Davis's money was hidden,on the way back that night. We of coarse did not want the money for ourselves, it didn't belong to us, but for the sake of closing the case and finding evidence to convict Robinson of murder,it was necessary to find the hidden treasure.

The code was written neatly on a yellowed piece of paper.

It read:

_For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel. __Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar love'd him!__This was the most unkindest cut of all;__For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,__Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,__Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty__heart. . . ._

It seemed to be a relatively easy puzzle to solve,its meaning was rather clear. As far as I could remember, Brutus was a friend to Ceasar but had participated in his murder. There must have been someone that Davis had trusted but who had abused his trust. But the strange part was that,why would such a person know where the money was? At the time the most logical answer I could think of was that the person had been Davis's son himself. But if so,then why had Robinson's gang killed him? It wouldn't have been hard for them to suspect that.

I had to get a lot of information about Davis's acquaintances,Lestrade could help with that,but before doing so I had to read that particular part of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

So upon morning, I waisted no time in visiting the nearest public library. Watson either didn't have a copy or had lent it to someone,confound him.

My next task was to go to Scotland,in order to make a list of suspects from Mr. Davis's friends and family.

Lestrade seemed to be rather moody,no wonder,though,considering his pressing a cold compress against his swollen,left eye. In the corner,Hopkins was sitting in a chair, pressing a handkerchief to his nose. There was a growing bruised bump in his forehead. I instantly deduced that they had been in a fight which could have been prevented easily but wisely,had been overpowered,and had come back empty handed;I was rather slow though,as Watson would have said,in realizing I could have prevented a violent quarrel between myself and the inspector wisely at a moment like that. But I could hardly get along with the yard with Watson present,let alone without him and with Lestrade in such frame of mind as that. But I had merely informed them of their obvious mistakes.

When our squabble ended,we began our investigating into Mr. Davis's associates,using some information the Yard had gathered in the past,and some other resources,also getting some help from my brother.

We couldn't find any more than twelve connections,and finally Lestrade went to tend to whatever other business it was that he had,and I started to wander all over the city to get information about each of the associates. Before 5:00 in the afternoon I had managed to find out that four of them were dead,five had lived abroad for some years and hadn't had any contact with Mr. Davis in the past few years,and as far as we knew the code hadn't been sent out of the country when it was stolen,that left only three out,not to mention the younger Mr. Davis.

Two of them were known to be Mr. Davis's most intimate friends,and had shared his business,and the last one was his old counterpart,his rival,I believed.

This last one was not likely to be our man,for all I knew,rivals never trusted one another.

My brother's agent had found me a few files and documents,relating to Mr. Davis's antique dealing company,in which one of the men whose names I had listed worked as the treasurer and the other as Davis's partner. I decided to take the files to Baker Street to investigate them,little did I know there would be little chance to do so with a wild setter in our rooms.

When I mounted the seventeen steps and passed through the door,I was welcomed by the sound of a very unfriendly watch dog threatening me with its roaring. I am ashamed to admit that before that It had ever occurred to me that Watson might have needed some help with the beast. I felt a sudden pang of guilt and worry upon meeting the still-wild dog and quiet house,other than its roars.

"Watson?" When I tried to go to the sitting room,the dog suddenly started towards me and managed to pull its teeth into my trouser leg (thankfully not my leg) and began to push me away and drive me to the door,if I hadn't known better I would have thought it was trying to guard someone in the room. After struggling with the damned creature for several minutes (I'm lucky my fingers are in one piece right now) I managed to set myself free from its grip and go quickly to see if Watson had also been lucky,only to find him,slumped against the back of his chair,exhausted and snoring softly. Everything around him was a mess,there were towels and chewed bones everywhere,I could see a few faint,almost colorless stains on the walls and the ceiling that could only have been made by one of the irregulars making -good lord- bubbles!

I,Sherlock Holmes was able to deduce next to nothing about what had been going on in my absence.

It was strange enough to find Watson in a mess,even with the dog,but the most bewildering of all was the small rubber ball in his limp hand,that made me doubt my own eyes for a moment.

I could feel the violent grip on my trouser again.

Had Watson been playing with the dog?

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	5. Chapter 5

Please let me know what you think.

CHAPTER FIVE

**Holmes**

I struggled with the dog for a good ten minutes to get it to let go of my trouser. And then when I started forward, it suddenly blocked my way,showing its teeth and roaring. My patience was wearing thin by then and I ignored it,swearing under my breath. The creature was not to give up any time soon though,cause it suddenly started barking and attacked me a second time. Watson awoke with a start,gasped and looked 'round him,after a moment and thankfully before the beast tore up my leg,he took in the scene before him and came to my aid.

"Paige. Stop. " It paid no mind.

Watson bent and gripped its body,urging him back.

"Paige, let go of him girl,its alright,he's a friend. " The dog glanced at him and stopped pulling me but didn't let go. It looked at me and then quizzically and doubtfully back at Watson,if a dog could have such feelings at all;I'm starting to sound like Watson.

"That's right,let go. " It finally let go and retreated to go stand near Watson,wistfully,eyes wary.

"Paige,I want you to meet Holmes,you have to be nice to him. "

Watson seemed rather nervous about the incident,as if concerned about how I would react to it,though I couldn't understand why he should care. Odd he seemed to be very fond of the dog.

"Sorry about that,Holmes. "

"Not your fault,my dear fellow, but I must ask,Watson,how on earth did you tame the wicked beast anyway?" I said while bending to pick up the blue rubber ball from the ground.

Watson blushed at the sight of it. "Well,Davy and Penny where here to help me and. . . . she's not all that difficult to please you know. "

"I see you have washed it,good job,have you any idea what we should do with it?" I asked as I searched on my desk for a paper,adding to the huge mess.

"Aaa. . . what do you mean what we should do with it?"

"Well we're not going to keep it hear forever now,are we?" I said absentmindedly.

"No. . . no of coarse not. " Watson stuttered.

"Where are you going to send it?"

"Emm. . . I think I'll ask a few of my friends if they are interested in keeping her. "

"Good. "

As I picked up everything I needed to go to my room I saw "Paige" pick the ball with its mouth and give it to Watson,Watson's eyes lit up like a six-year-old's and he hid his arm behind his back,distracting the dog and suddenly throwing it,luckily not hitting

Mrs. Hudson's vase,then he became aware of my gaze and blushed again,stiffening and standing straight. I couldn't help laughing at him while Paige ran noisily to catch the ball and brought it quickly back to Watson. It started to swing its tail playfully. Watson only glared at me.

"Mrs. Hudson will have your head Watson. " I said,gesturing to the mess in amusement.

"She's quit used to having her rooms messed up you know. "

I snorted and made my way to my room,still chuckling.

"Oh and Watson,do keep the noises to a minimum,I'm working. "

I ran my hand through my face,trying to get a grip on my nerves.

Concentrate,concentrate. . . where was I?

Ah. . . so Evans,the company's treasurer is not probable to be our man,there's nothing I can find to show any specific relationship between him and. . .

For the seventh time I heard a loud thud and then several barks,and my mind went absolutely blank again.

Calm down. . .

It couldn't have been his son,even if the gang had been stupid enough to kill him,Robinson wouldn't still have hope of finding the money,if the only clue was lost. . . and as far as I knew,there was no other clue. . .

Who then? It could be either Evans or Morris,probably Morris. . .

What kind of an idiot would give his money or any information of its whereabouts to someone he thought was untrustworthy?. . . unless. . . maybe the person wasn't aware that he held the information. . . There wasn't enough data. . .

The problem was getting trickier every minute. . . and the fact that my fellow-lodger and his temporary dog were doing god knew what indoors wasn't helping.

Bang!

That was it,I couldn't take it anymore.

"WATSON!"

"Sorry Holmes. "

I swore under my breath and tried again.

I started to read the rest of the documents I had gathered about Mr. Morris, Davis's most intimate colleague,and at some point partner. . . if he hadn't been his partner all along then the reason could be what we're looking for,a betrayal. . . you just have to find it. . .

Aha. . .

Bang!. . . Grrr. . . . "Don't Paige,alright,alright,stop now. . . "

Unfortunately at that point I decided that I couldn't suppress my anger and frustration any longer and burst out of my room,standing with clenched fists and staring at my ridiculous friend trying desperately to push back the dog that was licking his face enthusiastically. The scene before me would have made me laugh heartily any other day,but,being in a very black mood I merely glared at Watson.

"Watson I think I told you to keep quiet. "

"Well I wasn't the one who barked,Holmes. " Watson said,while still trying to keep the dog from licking him. I ran a hand through my face.

"Just shut that thing up. "

"I beg your pardon?"

I managed to get a grip on myself.

"Look,Watson,old chap,why don't you take the beast for a walk,eh? I really couldn't concentrate with all this noise. "

"And I have to concentrate when you make those awful sounds with your violin. "

"Watson. . "

"Alright,alright,I'm going,just don't suffocate yourself with your pipe. "

I fetched his walking stick,coat and hat,and saw them out the door.

Peace at last.

Now,I had to think.

Mr. David Morris had worked for the company for about 7 years,and as far as it was written in the documents,had never betrayed Davis. It was written that he had left the company -with Davis's approval,apparently- to work in his brother's business,because that had been more convenient for his old age. Was that betrayal? It didn't seem to me,but perhaps Davis had thought it to be?

No matter what Lestrade thought,I couldn't bring myself to believe that the note referred to Davis's son. It didn't make sense to me.

I had no other thread to consider and so the only thing to do was to investigate our number-one suspect closely. I had to go see Mr. Morris.

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><p><em>To be continued . . . <em>


	6. Chapter 6

Big thanks to my reviewers :)

I had this chapter ready long ago,but the internet connection has been very poor lately.

So here it is:

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><p>CHAPTER SIX<p>

**Watson**

"I can assure you my dear lady,there's nothing wrong with your lungs. "

"But Doctor what about the strange sensation. . . "

"I insist, and ma'am I've had a most tiring day. . . "

"Well I never, I'll have Antony's head for suggesting such rude,uneducated doctor, all but throwing his patients out. . . " The lady went on and on nagging and I, exasperated, went and opened the door,gesturing her out politely, without uttering a word.

I thanked god there were no more patients for today and went to check on Paige. I had been forced to bring her to work,since Mrs. Hudson was naturally not at all eager to look after one such dog in my absence and I couldn't possibly leave her alone in our rooms, she was sure to cause trouble,not to mention Holmes's chemicals lying all over the place. I was quiet surprised by the fact that she hadn't been too much of a bother in my consulting room.

She was napping near the wash basin, fragments of the bone I gad given her earlier lying on the floor around her. As I was washing my hands she woke up slowly,yawning and stretching her body.

"Did you sleep well,my dear?"

I dried my hands and went to kneel beside her to pat her neck. She licked my hand in response.

"I must say, you did show very good manners today, which makes me wonder: is there really no way I could keep you in our flat?" I was flattered to see what I thought to be hope in her eyes as she looked at me,but of coarse it could only have been my imagination.

"if only Holmes wouldn't object. " I knew he would probably never let me keep her,but I couldn't just surrender without fighting first.

"But you know what? I'm going to ask him,and he'd better agree. " Paige barked cheerfully and pushed her forehead against my palm,swinging her tail.

* * *

><p><strong>Holmes<strong>

Mr. David Morris was a very wealthy man,living in a very big house,south of London. I talked with him personally,as it would do no harm to let him know about the whole affair. I had asked Watson to come along,but he said he hadn't gone to his practice the day before to tend to the dog,generous fool,and couldn't skip work. It seemed to me that Watson was so occupied by the dog that he had completely forgotten about the case.

I listened to the history of the company and Morris's acquaintance with Mr. Davis ,but apparently nothing specific had happened between them, or as far as the man was telling me,who had no reason,really,to lie to me.

The code seemed to be pointing to a very personal affair in Davis's life indeed. It was no wonder the Yard had been unable to solve the problem, Davis seemed to have known exactly what he had been doing. And if so,how was I supposed to solve such a mystery?

It was really insulting,what would Lestrade say? Such simple little problem and I was completely at a loss as to how to solve it.

And so I returned to Baker Street in an even blacker mood. Naturally I didn't have lunch,to Mrs. Hudson's dismay,and sat in my armchair smoking my pipe and thinking hard all afternoon.

Watson came home at half past seven,followed by the dog. How he had managed to prevent the dog from eating his patients was beyond me.

"Hello Holmes,how did your investigation go?"

"Not good. "

He knew better than to press any further,and concentrated on preventing the dog from splashing mud everywhere. He seemed anxious,probably because he wanted to keep the rooms as they were,I thought to myself, Mrs. Hudson had gracefully cleaned the mess the dog had created the day before.

I was stunned to see the dog carry out Watson's order as he asked him to be quiet and not to interfere with his writing. It lay quietly beside Watson's desk,watching him and glancing at me occasionally.

I must confess that I was so clueless at the time that I spent the next hour lazily observing my friend and his dog instead of thinking.

Watson was writing in one of his journals,a very usual thing for him to do,but what caught my attention was that every now and then he would stop and put his pen aside,keep looking at the paper a few moments and then, changing his mind,would pick it up and write some more. As if he wanted to resist the urge to write or had some task he had to do,something on his mind,but kept loosing to himself. And the dog,it seemed suspiciously as if it was patiently waiting for something to happen. They were a most interesting pair,those two,I decided immediately.

Finally,when Watson suddenly got up from his chair and the dog with him, I realized that I had been thoroughly distracted by them,and was studying them,unconsciously,to find out what would happen next. Thankfully Watson never saw my flush.

He made his way to the table and poured a glass of water,drinking it with his back at me. I then saw him straightening before turning to me.

"Holmes,there's something we need to discuss. " He said seriously. I was quite bewildered by my own inability to deduce what he was going to discuss,only that it was a request.

"Of coarse,dear chap. Whatever do you want?"

He seemed to run out of confidence immediately,confusing me even more. Was it money he wanted,and was too proud to ask? I frowned.

"Well I just wanted to ask you. . . . ask you to. . . to. . . " He was fidgeting with one of his buttons,like a child admitting to a fault.

". . . Well. . . I took Paige to my consulting room today and. . . true he made a mess there too,but you see. . . She was really. . . "

"Watson,what is it? Spit it out. "

"Couldn't we keep her? Please!" He said this so quickly it was almost impossible to grasp his words. And though I had no problem understanding his words,it took me a few moments to absorb his request,and when I did,I immediately grew wary.

"Don't be ridiculous. " He kept looking at me with pleading eyes.

"Its out of question and you know it. "

"But Holmes. . . "

"Watson where are you going to keep him? We barely have enough space for the two of us. . . "

"If space is so valuable than why do you keep filling it with your papers or. . . "

"That's another matter,you know perfectly well my habits. . . "

"Well why should I always be the one to tolerate your habits? Why can't you for once tolerate mine?"

He was growing agitated now,and uncharacteristically so,he wouldn't normally argue so heatedly upon trivial matters,strange.

"Watson I couldn't possibly stand the thing,it's filthy,mischievous,. . . "

"She is not!"

"Why you have grown to care for it so much is beyond me,how many times do I have to tell you to stop caring so foolishly. . . "

"For whom? That innocent dog you keep referring to as "it" ? Wouldn't it be better to care for someone who actually appreciates it? Or should I just provide services for you my royal highness? Should I keep covering your back and in return gain nothing but your teasing and skepticism?"

I was shocked at his words,though I knew that it served me right for seeing signs of his deep fondness and prejudice for the dog yet being so inconsiderate.

Worse still was the fact that I had no idea what to do,and that I was confused and not a little hurt.

"Holmes,I'm keeping the dog,even if I have to leave our flat to do so. " He was shivering and swallowing repeatedly,his face had gone from deep red to paper white in a second,and I could see that it had been very hard for him to say that,but to my fear I also realized that he was serious.

"Alright then,go ahead,leave,choose the blasted dog over our . . . our. . . "

I trailed off,I knew Watson was my friend,in fact,he was much more than that,he was like a brother to me. But the thing was that,I had relied on the assumption that the feeling was mutual,and to say that I wasn't confused and even scared when I heard what he said,would be a lie.

"Our what Holmes? Association? Business? What?"

And then,my foolish pride and selfishness made me say something that even to this day I regret.

"Nothing. Leave if you have to. I will not have the dog in my house. In fact I will kick it out myself if it's still here tomorrow. Good day. "

I never saw his reaction. Saying that,I walked calmly to my room and shut the door behind me,leaning against it and panicking as I slowly realized just what I had told my best friend.

Watson was the stubbornest man I had ever seen,what if he really decided to leave?

What had I done?

I was torn between anger and guilt,and since I couldn't deal with the latter,I became more and more angry at my poor friend.

He had no right to treat me like that. He started it.

I decided I would make sure he would be the one to apologize,if anything.

* * *

><p><em>To Be Continued...<em>


	7. Chapter 7

Tnx to reviewers :))))

* * *

><p>CHAPTER SEVEN<p>

**Watson**

I admit that I never expected Holmes to say those words. I knew he could resemble a cold machine at times but was always proud to think that I was one of the few to know he actually had a heart. To think that he really didn't consider me his friend,after all these years,was nothing short of a bad shock.

I stood there,staring at were he had been a second before,his words ringing in my ears,and I felt my heart break,so I decided to shield myself with anger. He would be sorry. For one thing was clear to me then,that whatever Holmes and I had had together,we didn't have anymore,that was what he had just said.

And I was too distracted and angry to realize the consequences.

"Fine,I will. " I shouted.

Just then did I realize the gentle tugs on my trouser and looked down to see Paige looking at me with saddened,shameful eyes. And then she began whining forlornly.

"It's alright girl,I'm not going to let you go. Even if I have to choose between you and Holmes. "

And I would lose Holmes just as I had Andrew,years before he died.

Did I not deserve anyone's friendship?

I shook the thought immediately,for I had no time for brooding.

I went to collect a few things to spend the night at my consulting room.

**Holmes**

I heard the front door slam shot a while later. Watson had apparently decided to spend the night elsewhere,probably his consulting room,as he had nowhere else to go;which was alarming enough. What if he was actually going to leave our flat?

All because of that wretched dog? What had I done to deserve such treatment?

Soon I realized I couldn't handle having so many emotions at once.

I needed distraction. I needed to do what I did best.

Think.

So I sat there for what seemed like 3 hours,trying to solve the mystery of the hidden fortune of Mr. Davis. Finally, having succeeding in neither solving the problem nor controlling my anger at Watson,I decided to go to see Lestrade.

**Watson**

Paige and I had arrived at my consulting room and I was trying to find the right key when Paige began to sniff suspiciously ,her ears turning upright,and she began to go curiously towards the end of the street,as if following a scent. I went after her,also curious to know what had caught her attention.

Suddenly I saw a movement in a dark spot at the direction in which Paige was going,and a moment later two frightened-excited children ran from their hiding place,trying to get as far as they could from the dog.

"Penny,Davy,what are you doing here?"

" We saw ye leave,and ye seemed in a temper,and ye 'ere bringin' Paige and. . . "

"And you thought it would be a good idea to follow me. "

"Jus' to help,and play with Paige, we'll be good,promise. "

"Fine then,come in. Just don't be noisy. " I figured I could really use their company.

**Holmes**

I resisted the urge to bang my head against the desk.

For the last two hours,Lestrade and I had been trying to decipher the letter in all sorts of ridiculous ways. Having tried every decoding method we knew of,we even started to improvise our own methods.

We went from circling the first letter of every word,to doing mathematical analysis on the number of letters each of them had.

And yet,nothing.

"We're not getting anywhere. Let's start from the beginning. " Said I.

Lestrade sighed. We had already discussed this matter several times. I was beginning to question all my deducting abilities. Lestrade,on the other hand was positive that the problem was not solvable,seeing that I had been unable to solve it till then.

"Brutus. . . Brutus,Lestrade,is what? He is a friend of Julius Caesar. He is supposed to be loyal,but instead stabs him. "

Lestrade just waited for my conclusion,cross handed.

"Who could have taken advantage of Davis's trust in such way?"

"Holmes,we lack data,as you always put it. We know nothing of this man's private life. "

I leaned back against the chair and rubbed my eyes for a long minute.

I was beginning to realize to my own dismay and shock that I was unable to solve the case.

There was a nock on the door and immediately Hopkin's head appeared through it.

"Sir,I came to ask your opinion about the stolen canary affair. " He said to Lestrade.

"Not now,I've work to do. "

"Go on Lestrade,you're right,I admit I've met a dead end. I'll be out in a minute. "

"Are you giving up on the case Mr. Holmes?" Lestrade seemed utterly stunned,and a bit satisfied as well.

"Yes indeed,Lestrade. " I muttered reluctantly.

And I would have,had it not been for what I heard just then.

As I was collecting my things I heard the inspectors talking over the case of the stolen canary,as Hopkins put it. I distractedly wondered if the world was going mad,what with all the fuss about wretched pets. Mycroft and I had had a goldfish when I was five,that was all the experience I had with keeping pets,practically though,Mycroft took care of it. I figured as a child that pets can be real boring. Then my thoughts were drifted towards Watson and his strange affection for the dog,as if they were friends!

Friends. . . like Watson and I,or were we?

Friends with a dog. . .

"Hopkins,do you want us to search the hole empire for a bloody canary?"

"But sir the old woman seems very fond of the thing,she says it was like a real buddy to her. . . "

. . . . !

I'm proud to say that my shout of triumph disrupted their hideous conversation,and also banished the look of absolute restricted anger upon Lestrade's face,only to replace it with bewilderment.

"Eureka!"

"Wha. . . A trace,Holmes?"

"Not exactly,but hopefully yes,inspector. . . "

". . . A pet,Lestrade,can actually be considered a friend. Got it? Davis's dog!"

For a moment,Lestrade's face lit up and he swung a fist in the air in his excitement,but then he frowned again.

"But,Holmes,that doesn't sound like a very promising possibility. . . "

"touché,Lestrade,but it's still a thread,and the only one we've got,so let's follow it. The only acquaintance of Mr. Davis that I know of and haven't suspected yet is his dog. My mistake was that I didn't consider it-her, might be a 'friend' to Davis. "

Hopkins's look was splendid.

At that moment,part of me suddenly realized that I owed this to Watson,for his kind handling of the dog had given me the idea,but since I was still rather angry with him,I banished the thought from my mind immediately.

"Well then Mr. Holmes,what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to go home with breakneck speed to examine the dog?"

Naturally,I wasn't overly eager about seeing Watson after what had happened earlier that day.

"Watson has taken the dog to his consulting room. "

"It'll have to wait then. "

Patience,though,wasn't my strong point when I was so curious to find out the secret. And I was indeed very lucky that day,because as I sat there trying to decide if I could face Watson,for the second time in less than ten minutes,I overheard something that led me to a very vital piece of data.

"By the way,Hopkins,have you seen a new janitor here by the name of Robins? There's a man waiting for him. "

"I new a guy named Robins but he left about a month ago. "

"I'd better tell the chap then. " With that Lestrade got up and left the office.

I absently heard him come back a few minutes later,and confirm what I was starting to suspect.

"He's gone. "

I was staring to feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach as I became more and more alarmed.

"Lestrade,quick man,what was he wearing?"

"Why do you ask?" Said he,startled and completely unaware of the need to haste,as always.

"Just tell me,there's no time. "

"Alright,let me see. . . emm. . . light brown coat. . . his hat was far too big for him. . . "

"Did he have brown,soiled boots?"

"Emmm. . . don't know for sure. . . I think. . . "

"He was eavesdropping!" I ran my hands through my hair saying that.

"Now,now,Mr. Holmes,why would he want to. . . "

"He got here the same time as I,and was standing at the door of this very office,I saw his shoes,and he ran away as soon as he got the data he wanted!" I murmured so fast I barely heard myself.

My only thought,as I dashed out of Lestrade's office,was that if anything happened to Watson,I would never forgive myself.

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><p><em>To Be Continued...<em>


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

**Watson**

It isn't often that I find it difficult to write. Usually writing is my antidote to sorrow. That night however, I found I was far too distraught to concentrate on writing. Finally when I observed that in addition to the fact that words simply didn't come to me, my hand was shaking so bad I couldn't control the pen,I gave up and put said item on the desk with a sigh. I leaned back on my chair,closed my eyes and tried to take deep breaths.

As I did so, I heard a pounding on the door,but was to shaky to open it and immediately thought it better to let the children,who were playing in the next room with Paige,open the door; this way I would have a few seconds at least to get a grip on myself.

I assumed it was a patient or such, far from it in fact,and so I learned when I stepped in the next room and saw a figure gripping Davy violently and trying to catch a very wild and frightened Paige. In his other hand he held a knife by which he had obviously threatened the children. At the corner stood Penny, pale and trembling with fear.  
>By the time I had overcome my momentarily shock and horror at seeing such a scene before me,the man had noticed my entrance and had turned around. I immediately recognized him as Robinson, though why he was there and what he wanted I knew not. I made to dash forward but he quickly gave the knife to his other hand and put it on Davy's throat. The poor boy was silently shaking with fear. I took a step back,knowing he wouldn't have doubts about harming the boy.<p>

"Ah, Dr. Watson,a pleasure to meat you again. Pity I'll have to leave your company so soon,and take your little guests as well,so that you and Mr. Holmes will have a proper incentive to keep your mouths shut about the whole incidence. "

He was taking the children,to force us to drop the case! As if I would let him. . . but why was he following Paige ?. . .

"Oh and speaking of Mr. Holmes,congratulate him for me for solving the little mystery,will you?"

Holmes had found answers?. . . wait, was that why Robinson wanted the dog? Did she have anything to do with the money?. . .

I decided it was far too soon to give up hope,although the knife was pointed at the dear boy. I needed to think. . . hmm. . . Holmes did say something about Robinson's idiocy while angry. . . all I had to do was to wait for the right moment. . .

Robinson was cursing and trying desperately to catch Paige,not an easy task at all,especially while trying to hold both Davy and the knife with the same hand. Time after time Paige ducked and ran away. The thief was getting frustrated and soon enough he began to loosen his grip on Davy and pull the knife away too, as I had expected him to.

Finally,when Paige made to bite his arm he completely forgot about the knife in his haste to pull back his arm. I decided it was my opportunity.

"Run, Davy!"

And he did,Holmes's irregulars are all rather swift,and it wasn't very hard for him to get away from the villain,to my relief.

As soon as he was clear I dashed for Robinson and tackled him so that he dropped the knife;

right on top of Paige's head,to my dismay. I panicked and turned away from Robinson to push the dog out of the way,to prevent the knife from cutting her face. My attempt was unnecessary though, for Paige turned out to be quite capable of taking care of herself, and little did I know how much pain my reckless action was going to cause me.

Naturally my opponent took advantage of my distraction and drove his fist to to the back of my head. As dark spots danced before my eyes I felt his fist connect with my stomach twice and before I had the chance to recover I was pushed back with considerable force towards what I soon found to be the staircase!

I remember falling through empty space,Penny's petrified scream,two loud thuds and then a very sickening crack and my own ear-piercing cry of pain as my leg got stuck between the rails in my fall,landing with full force on the floor,and for some moments afterwards nothing but an intense,crippling agony in my right leg and a pathetic moaning which I figured was actually my own.

When finally I opened my eyes,from the bottom of the stairs where I lay,I blearily saw Robinson had seized Davy by the collar and was pulling out a pistol with his other hand. Normally he wouldn't have used the weapon for the entire neighborhood would recognize the sound of a gunshot,but he must have planned on leaving immediately or else had forgotten himself in his rage once again.

"Doctor, I'm afraid Mr. Holmes will have to deduce for himself that I have taken the kids, since you will no longer be able to give an explanation. "  
>I heard penny weeping as he aimed the pistol at my face.<p>

And then my tortured body froze in fear and shock as my dazed mind began to understand what was just going to happen, that I was going to leave the kids to face a horrible fate and Holmes to feel guilty over my death for the rest of his life as I knew he would,that I would never get to follow him on a case. . .

"So long doctor. "

I wished with all my being that Holmes would forgive me. . . and closed my eyes.

_To Be Continued. . . _

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><p>I felt sorry for Watson, honestly, I feel guilty !<p>

Do leave reviews, please :D


	9. Chapter 9

I am so sorry I left you hanging so long, but I had no idea what was going to happen either. I can't believe I had to read half of my own story to remember what happened so far!  
>Also I have to thank Azolean, for after seeing how regularly she updated her story, well, I felt rather guilty, hence the update!<br>Check out her stories if you haven't done so yet . . .

Please review ;)

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><p><strong>Holmes<strong>

Please Watson, be fine. . . please. . . . .  
>How many times I whispered those words to myself before I got to the consulting room's front door, I know not.<p>

I do know that I shall remember the sight that met my eyes till the end of my days.

"So long doctor. " Was what I heard just before I opened the door, which was slightly ajar.

I was just in time to see Robinson pulling the trigger, and he was aiming at the bottom of the staircase, where my dear friend apparently stood.

As my petrified mind tried desperately to free my muscles from the paralysis that had suddenly come over them, I saw Paige leap towards Robinson in a foolishly heroic attempt to save her newest owner.

The gun fired, but the bullet went into the wall, thanks to Paige's biting of Robinson's arm.  
>"Good job!" I couldn't help shouting, I would never have reached him in time. . .<p>

I was relieved beyond words to realize that miraculously she was unharmed,and so were the children apparently.

I quickly reached the now very angry Robinson who was fighting to get Paige to let go of his bleeding arm, I doubt he even noticed my arrival. In a swift movement I rendered him unconscious with a blow to his head using my walking stick.

Simple as that. . . now everything was going to be just fine. . .

As I searched the place for something to bind the villain's hands with, I required after Watson's wellbeing more out of habit then any real concern, and so was appalled to hear his weak trembling voice calling my name.

"H-he p-pu-pushed him d-down the. . . " Penny, who had been frozen with shock till then explained, seeing my head snap up sharply.

"Good dog, watch him for me, just a moment. " I quickly told Paige and put a hand on her head briefly before dashing down the stairs, the children at my heels.

"Watson"

he was sprawled on the floor, pale and seemingly dazed, his right leg sickeningly bent the wrong way, obviously it was broken rather badly.

He gripped my hands firmly when I fell on to my knees beside him.

"Holmes, what happened?. . are you. . . the children. . . " His head suddenly snapped up, and in consequence he had to bit back a moan of pain.  
>"Watson, don't move. Everybody's fine ,thanks to your dog, don't worry she's unharmed as well. "<p>

He closed his eyes shot, apparently trying to control both physical and emotional pain. I felt my heart twitch at the sight of it. It was all my fault. . .

"Penny, you think you could fetch Ansthruter? Quick. "

She nodded and ran up the stairs.

"Watson I'm going to go bind Robinson before he wakes, I'll be back in a moment. "

"I have rope. . . at the left cabinet. . . beside the. . . "

"Right. "

When I went back it was to find Davy gripping Watson's hand and trying to sooth him by stroking his hair, a gesture one would not expect from a small boy as he. Watson's eyes were tightly shot and he was trying to concentrate on his breathing, keeping a tender smile on his face for Davy's sake.

I gripped Watson's other hand with both of mine, squeezing it gently.

"Holmes I'm sorry I talked to you that way. . . " He whispered, his pleading hazel eyes were glistering.

I swallowed, I had never been good at speaking my feelings, but I figured it was the least I could do after all that I'd done to him. I cut him short.  
>"Watson, what I said about. . . about our. . . our. . . " I swallowed again, now or never. . .<p>

"Watson, I. . . you are the only person I have ever dared call my friend, I. . . I'm s-sorry I was making you choose between. . . Watson?"

He had closed his eyes shut, and the single tear that slid down his face made me wonder if that was the wrong thing to say. . .

"Holmes, you. . have to. . . forgive me,I should have never. . . said those things. . . it was uncalled for. . . I'm afraid this whole business has brought up. . . some. . . personal. . . I mean. . . " He took a shuddering breath.

"I can't really bring myself to tell you, I'm sorry. " He hastened to continue at my questioning stare,his sad eyes pleading for me to understand.

"Shh, dear fellow. It's alright. There's nothing to forgive. "

He opened his mouth to say something, but bit his lip instead, looking away. Then blushing, he looked at me with a little smile, a bit warily though.

"Does that mean I can keep Paige?"

At that point his resemblance to a small boy was so much that I had to choke back a fit of badly needed laughter.

"I can't see how my opinion should matter, as it seems, I'm lucky you haven't thrown me out of our rooms yet, to make space for your pet. " I said in a teasing tone.

"Seriously, Holmes, If it really is too much of a bother to you I could. . . "

"Listen, I'm sorry I objected in the first place. Besides she might come in handy in my investigations. . . "

Unfortunately,Watson's overjoyed expression at hearing my words was short-lived, for he made the mistake of moving his leg and only barely managed to not shout out in pain, His hand clenching in mine.

He quickly recovered himself however, sending me a hardly-reassuring smile.

"Even if you have to take her out for the next couple of weeks?" He said, half seriously.

"My dear Watson, It would hardly be fair to do otherwise after what she just did for me. "

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><p><em>To Be Continued. . .<em>


	10. Chapter 10

I am so very sorry to have kept you waiting so long when there was just one more chapter to go! I really had no idea what to write anymore, maybe that's because this was the very first time I actually finished a story. And I had to learn the hard way never to abandon a story for more than a few weeks. I pray I haven't forgotten to mention any part of the mystery, if I have, please tell me. I hope this isn't as ridiculous as I currently feel it is! Please let me know what you think.  
>In the end, a great big <strong>THANK YOU<strong> to anyone who has reviewed :****  
>Oh and I'm really sorry for the mistakes you will no doubt find ;)<br>Snail

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><p><strong>Holmes<strong>

"Holmes, I'll be far more comfortable on the settee, it's…"

"Watson, you _know_ what happens if you fall in your sleep! " My voice had probably showed my frustration towards what had happened far too clearly for my liking, for he argued no more.

I had carried Watson up the seventeen stairs and was heading towards my own bedroom, ignoring his protests. We had been informed by Anstruther that he had broken his knee, and it had to be kept immobilized for at least six weeks; And even then he would be far from walking without aids.

I had just settled him on my bed, making him as comfortable as possible with a pillow under his leg, when Paige announced her presence with a sudden loud bark, making me jump. She curled up beside Watson, yawning.

"I told you I'd be better off on the settee. " Watson said, looking at me guiltily.

"Never mind, I'm sure she's not more capable than I when it comes to making a mess. "

"I don't doubt that. " He replied, chuckling despite himself and putting an arm around the creature's furry form.

"So Holmes, are you not going to enlighten me as to how you figured Robinson was coming to my practice?"

The case! I had completely forgotten about my theory! How out of character...

I made to pick Paige up, only remembering her wild nature when she almost succeeded in biting my finger off.  
>"Homes, what <em>are<em> you doing?"

"Watson, be a good chap and help me examine her. "

Knowing he would get an explanation at the end of this, he gently held her up for my investigation, murmuring to her soothingly when she began to roar. It was amazing how the man could gain anyone's trust in such a short time.

I took off her collar and inspected it thoroughly with my lens, but it seemed to be as ordinary as any other collar. I then asked Watson to search her limbs, ears and tail for an attached note, which he did not find.

I was once again considering swallowing my pride and dropping the case when Watson's features took on a puzzled expression.

"You found something. "

"Nothing relevant to your case…" He said distractedly, feeling the dog's neck with practiced fingers of a surgeon.

"She seems to have some strange scars here; maybe she's been abused…"

"Watson, you'll examine her later, you need to rest now…"

"Holmes, take a look at these marks, they look like… words!" I jumped out of my chair to do just that, and sure enough there were a series of tiny burn marks on Paige's neck, revealed only to those courageous enough to touch her as passionately as my dear Watson had.

"I have to admit my dear fellow that you and you alone have solved this case. " I said, raising my head so I could look him in the eyes.

"Really, Holmes I just happened to…"

I raised a hand to cut him short, looking away again.

"My dear fellow, if it weren't for your compassion for our friend here, I would never have known where to look for the secret note. "

He was looking at me with a look of absolute bewilderment.

"Let's start at the beginning, shall we?"

And so I narrated the events that ended at my not altogether successful rescue, pleased to see him blush at realizing the cause for my earlier statement.

**Watson**

Holmes was able to find Davis's treasure, based on the instructions so cruelly imprinted on Paige's skin. The only question remaining was what a dog could possibly have done to 'betray' a gentleman. The only possible explanation was that Davis had in one way or the other hurt Paige, and she had bitten him, for we remembered she had been prone to biting at first. What _does_ one expect from a man who would endanger the life of his own son just to pass him some money anyway?

Nearly a week after my knee broke Holmes finally let me take my own dog out, or rather _he_ took _me_ out, for there was no way I could keep Paige out of trouble while on crutches.

At this point I had been certain I wouldn't survive any more of the life I'd had the week before. My complete confinement to the settee and Holmes's annoying protectiveness coupled with the very embarrassing fact that I needed help doing almost everything were simply more than I could stand.

I had nothing else to do but lie there feeling sorry for myself when I could've been out playing with my dog…

At first the strong feeling of nostalgia at having a dog so resembling my childhood pet was overwhelming, especially the memories of my late brother which left me insomniac each night. But as I knew he sooner or later would, Holmes had suspected something was wrong and would play or even read me to sleep when the weight of guilt and loss were too heavy for me to bear alone. And this from a man who purposefully let others believe he was nothing more than a calculating machine.

To my relief it seemed Holmes and my new pet were going to get along just fine. Holmes believed Paige had a talent for following scents. Even Mrs. Hudson, who had been horrified at the idea of keeping her, took a shine on her within the first few days. I had forgotten how joyful it was to have a dog in the house; the joy that one apparently didn't cease to feel even when bedridden. Though Holmes wasn't thrilled to see me play ball in my condition.

In the end, I think it is worth a broken bone to get to have one's very own setter once again...

... Says the man who is insane enough to share rooms with the mythical Sherlock Holmes.

.

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The End


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